"Development that Mangalore did not see in the past 30 years will happen in a span of 5 years with the commencement of Special Economic Zone," said Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Kumble Narasimha Prabhu addressing a seminar on Mangalore SEZ- Potential and prospects at Srinivas College of Management Studies here on Thursday.
Mr Prabhu paradoxically said that the proposed SEZ was an ‘Environment friendly SEZ’. Calling it the law of the land, Mr Prabhu said that pains of 5 to 10 per cent of people cannot be considered when the project holds huge promises to 90 per cent of the people.
Addressing the gathering, MSEZ Chief operating Officer A G Pai reiterating Swami Vivekananda’s statement “He lives who lives for others and the rest are all dead” said that after Srinivas Mallya probably nobody else lived by this statement.
Mr Pai said that agriculture might have been the main source of livelihood for people but its contribution to the Gross Domestic Production is only 26 per cent. Hence, industrialisation is essential and MSEZ is the need of the hour to provide opportunities for the local youth and prevent brain-drain.
He said that no matter what the media says, no matter what the ‘so called’ environmentalists say and no mater how much ‘crocodile tears’ cause impediments for the project, it would not make any difference to him and the implementation of the project.
